ATHENS, Ga. ? No. 1 Georgia proved to be too much for the No. 20 Kentucky men?s tennis team Friday, as the Bulldogs captured a 7-0 win over the Wildcats at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The Bulldogs, who lead the all-time series between the two schools 36-6, have won three consecutive meetings with the Cats.
The Wildcats (12-5, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) started off slow by dropping the doubles point after losing each of their three doubles matches. Georgia?s Strahinja Bobusic and Colin Purcell made quick work of Shane Collins and Marcus Sundh, by capturing an 8-2 victory in the No. 3 doubles position. The nation?s ninth-ranked doubles tandem of John Isner and Antonio Ruiz followed suit with an 8-2 win over Nate Emge and Alex Hume in the top doubles slot. No. 60 Luis Flores and Matic Omerzel topped Bruno Agostinelli and Kenny Hodge to sweep through doubles action.
The Bulldogs (18-0, 7-0 SEC) continued their dominance in singles action as No. 50 Ricardo Gonzalez cruised past freshman Gregory Anderson at the No. 6 slot. The nation?s top-ranked singles player John Isner then took out the 54th-ranked Agostinelli, 6-3, 6-4.
At the fifth singles position, Purcell halted Sundh?s nine-match winning streak with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Forty-six ranked Hume then fell to No. 27 Luis Flores, 6-4, 6-2, and Omerzel won a hard-fought 7-6, 2-6, 1-0 decision over Carey Rubin. The Dogs completed the sweep as unranked Ruiz rallied from a first-set deficit to defeat senior Nate Emge 4-6, 7-5, 1-0.
Kentucky looks to return to its winning ways Sunday when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to face the No. 42 Tennessee Volunteers. Opening serve is set for 1 p.m. EST. Complete results and a recap will be available on ukathletics.com.
No. 1 Georgia def. No. 20 UK 7-0
Doubles
1.No. 9 John Isner/Antonio Ruiz (Georgia) def. Nate Emge/Alex Hume (Kentucky) ? 8-2
2. Bruno Agostinelli/Kenny Hodge (Kentucky) def. No. 60 Luis Flores/Matic Omerzel (Georgia) ? default
3.No. 11 Strahinja Bobusic/Colin Purcell (Georgia) def. Shane Collins/Marcus Sundh (Kentucky) ? 8-2
Singles
1.No. 1 John Isner (Georgia) def. No. 54 Bruno Agostinelli (Kentucky) – 6-3, 6-4
2.No. 27 Luis Flores (Georgia) def. No. 46 Alex Hume (Kentucky) ? 6-4, 6-2
3.Antonio Ruiz (Georgia) def. No. 87 Nate Emge (Kentucky) ? 4-6, 7-5, 1-0
4.No. 42 Matic Omerzel (Georgia) def. Carey Rubin (Kentucky) ? 7-6, 2-6, 1-0
5.Colin Purcell (Georgia) def. Marcus Sundh (Kentucky) – 6-1, 7-5
6.No. 50 Ricardo Gonzalez (Georgia) def. Greg Anderson (Kentucky) ? 6-1, 6-2